Monday, June 11, 2012

Yes, we all want to see the Marios, the Zeldas and the Pikmins but if you look around, you can stumble upon nice little games. I found this little gem courtesy of FrozenByte from Helsinki, Finland. I'd never heard of Trine 2 nor Trine 1 before so I had no idea what I was getting into. Trine 2 : Director's Cut, as it turns out, might be a very solid downloadable game for WiiU when the system is up and running.

Trine 2 was apparently the only downloadable game for WiiU on the show floor. It's a bright and colorful sidescrolling action/platformer in which you play as three completely different characters, altering between them with a single button press. This version is built with the WiiU controller in mind. One of the developer that I got to talk to told me that this is the definitive Trine 2 experience.

Graphics

The colors in the game are beautiful and the lightning makes it all come alive. In the first level that I played, you ran across a luxurious forest filled with growing vines and giant mushrooms. You then went through a cave to end up being ambushed by little trolls. After the bright forest, I played a sunny desert level that led me into a crypt. The graphics were bright, crisp and complimented by great animations. Everything was fluid in my playthrough and I kept looking at the background and the small details. The art direction makes this game a treat to look at.

Gameplay

The main gameplay twist in Trine 2 is the three main characters, each having their own strength and abilities. The wizard can use telekinesis and draw magical bridge or boxes. The Warrior can charge, block, float with his shield and attack with either a flaming sword or a heavy hammer. Last but not least, the thief uses two kinds of arrows, can grapple with a hookshot and can create a bubble that slows time. Jumping inside this bubble propels you way higher than a normal jump. You can play the game exclusively on the tablet if you want or look at the TV and mostly use the buttons.

These three different characters bring a dynamic like The Lost Vikings with their three bearded heroes. The fun thing was thinking of original ways to get through a puzzle. There always seemed to be more than one way to get pass them. For example, you could use the wizard's telekinesis to move a mirror and reflect a ray of light into a switch or you could use the warior's shield Zelda style!

You'll also be able to play with friends, online or offline. In the regular mode, each players use a different character so the complete team of three is complete but if you feel more creative, the unlimited mode lets you use any player in any combination. Wizard only group? Go for it!

I loved my experience with Trine 2 so much that I came back to it on the last day of E3 to play it one last time. From what I saw, it seems like a really good downloadable game is already on the way for the WiiU. It looks great, you'll probably want to stop from time to time only to look around but most importantly, the gameplay is fluid and fun. It's a good idea to keep an eye on this one.